“A lot of work”: New gardeners advised to start early and stay vigilant

Spring has sprung, and all around eastern Melbourne, you'll see green thumbs in their gardens, pruning, snipping, planting and watering.

For those of us who might like to venture into the world of plants, shrubs, trees and flowers, but don't know where to begin, it can all seem a bit overwhelming.

So, what should we be doing in spring? What's in season? And what common errors should we try to avoid?

Local advice: The Eastern Melburnian spoke to Domenic Presti from Ferntree Gully’s Presti Nursery about the best plants to start growing now and how to care for your plants and veggies.

A family business: Husband and wife Domenico and Antonia Presti opened the nursery on Ferntree Gully Road in 1967.

Following Domenico’s death in 2021, the Presti family closed the business at the end of 2022. But in September 2024, their son Domenic reopened the doors.

Plants galore: Presti said plants in season include eggplant, onion, hot chilli, capsicum, lettuce, cucumber, zucchini, strawberry, mint, thyme, coriander, basil and 15 varieties of tomato.

Tips for new players: Presti said the main trap amateur gardeners fall into is not being aware that “vegetable growing is a lot of work”. The key was watering and fertilising them regularly and keeping an eye out for pests.

“First of all, you gotta prepare your soil with fertiliser and things like that … a couple of weeks before you plant your vegetables,” he told the Eastern Melburnian.

Shifting seasons: Presti said the changing climate had led to seasons shifting, which meant people often planted two crops of tomatoes - one at the start of spring and one around December.

“We sell tomatoes all the way up to Christmas because the way our weather is now, if you put them in early, they die off early February,” he said.